| Banu Ghaṭafān بنو غطفان | |
|---|---|
| Qaysite Arab tribe | |
| Nisba | Al-Ghatafani |
| Location | Arabia |
| Descended from | Ghaṭafān ibn Sa'd ibn Qays |
| Parent tribe | Qays |
| Branches | |
| Religion | Polytheism (pre-630) Islam (post 630) |
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TheGhaṭafān (Arabic:غطفان) were anArab tribal confederation originally based northeast ofMedina. The main branches of the Ghatafan were the tribes ofBanu Abs, Banu Dhubyan and Ashja'. They were one of the Arabtribes that interacted with Muhammad. They are notable for allying themselves with theQuraysh in theBattle of the Trench.[1]
The Ghatafan were aBedouin tribal grouping that inhabited theWadi al-Rumma area ofNajd between theHejaz mountains andJabal Shammar.[2] According to Arab genealogical tradition, the progenitor of the tribe was Ghaṭafān ibn Saʾd ibn Qays ʿAylān, making it a part of the largerQays tribe.[2] The etymology or meaning of Ghatafan is not known.[3]
The main branches of the Ghatafan were the following:
They were involved in several military conflicts with Muhammad. The first was theInvasion of Dhi Amr[4] occurred directly after theInvasion of Sawiq in the year 3 A.H of the Islamic calendar, September 624.[5][6] The expedition was ordered byMuhammad after he received intelligence that the Banu Muharib and Banu Talabah tribes, were planning to raid the outskirts ofMedina. Therefore, Muhammad launched a preemptive strike with 450 men.[7]
Another conflict they were involved in was theExpedition of Dhat al-Riqa where Muhammad ordered an attack on the tribe because he received news that they were assembling at Dhat al-Riqa with a suspicious purpose.[8]
This was followed by theInvasion of Dumatul Jandal. Muhammad ordered his men to invade Duma, because Muhammad received intelligence that some tribes there were involved in highway robbery and preparing to attack Medina itself[9] This happened in July 626.[10]
ThenExpedition of Abu Qatadah ibn Rab'i al-Ansari (Khadirah) in November[11] or Dec 629[12] theExpedition of Abu Qatadah ibn Rab'i al-Ansari (Khadirah) took place. With the goal of attacking the Ghatafan tribe because he heard that they were amassing troops and were still outside the "domain of Islam"[13]